Photo: (From left to right) Courtesy of brownsfashion.com; Courtesy of net-a-porter.com

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The Simple Life

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Leave it to the ’90s and noughties to be the cheeky trove of the blue jean—a special era filled with thick and sturdy pairs that you could really wear-in. And everyone did go for all-American fabric, even television stars who gave the material a relatable, attainable feel. After all, who can forget the look of Beverly Hills, 90210? Babes like Dylan McKay and Brenda Walsh strutted down the halls in all of their teenage normcore glory, zipped into a bevy of high-waisted pairs. As for the grown-up version of the dad-ish styles? Those belonged to the characters of Friends, who gave the dungaree a slightly boho vibe, wearing it as jackets or cutoff vests. Not all is lost in a time warp: For Fall 2016, Gosha Rubchinskiy gave those slouchy 90210- and Friends-esque blue jeans a contemporary revival, fastening the waists with shoelaces in lieu of flashy belt buckles.

If, however, you’re searching for a little bit more bite to your cusp-of-the-millennium denim inspiration, turn to midriff-baring muse Adriana La Cerva of The Sopranos. Her New Jersey version of the Canadian tuxedo was comprised of skintight, low-slung jeans and denim crop tops. La Cerva’s look isn’t completely a thing of yesteryear, either: The character’s sexpot, slightly criminal ensemble was channeled in the hip-slinging styles on the Fall 2016 runway, ranging from the low-rise duds at Paco Rabanne to the pelvic-dipping pieces at Opening Ceremony. And for those who love to max out their credit cards to indulge in the indigo? Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie caused a rich-kid ruckus in their bratty, thigh-skimming duds on The Simple Life, while the SUV-driving high schoolers of Laguna Beach made a hard case for the denim miniskirt and light-wash flares.

But perhaps your throwback tastes skew toward a more small-town wholesome vibe: The football fanatics of Friday Night Lights gave life to those no-frills, stadium-ready basic cuts, while the characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer sunk their teeth into pairs with flare. And nothing beats a good boot-cut, the beloved style of mommy-and-me duo Rory and Lorelai Gilmore, who let those square-toe pumps peek out from under the cuff. Hopefully we’ll be seeing the same incarnations in the Gilmore Girls series reboot—and on the street, too.

To get you prepped, we’ve pulled the best ’90s-to-noughties TV-inspired pairs to wear now.

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